Featured

Laurie A. Johnson

Spinning Forward

By:
Terri DuLong

Narrated by:
Kate Udall

Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
47

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
44

Story

4 out of 5 stars
46

Syd never considered the possibility of turning her passion for spinning and knitting into something more than a hobby, but when the unique composition of her wool draws attention, a door is opened - the first among many. Yet even as she ventures out of her comfort zone, Syd finds herself stepping into the embrace of a community rich with love, laughter, friendship...and secrets. And as long-hidden truths are revealed, Syd faces a choice: spin a safety net - or spin decidedly forward and never look back...

The author threw in every conceivable trite plot twist--adoption, gambling addiction, sex after 50, right to die--but never developed any of it.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Seating Arrangements

By:
Maggie Shipstead

Narrated by:
Arthur Morey

Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins

Unabridged

Overall

3 out of 5 stars
199

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars
171

Story

3 out of 5 stars
170

Winn Van Meter is heading for his family's retreat on the pristine New England island of Waskeke. Normally a haven of calm, for the next three days this sanctuary will be overrun by tipsy revelers as Winn prepares for the marriage of his daughter Daphne to the affable young scion Greyson Duff. Winn's wife, Biddy, has planned the wedding with military precision, but arrangements are sideswept by a storm of salacious misbehavior and intractable lust: Daphne's sister, Livia, who has recently had her heart broken by Teddy Fenn.

A Vivid Portrait

Deadly dull

Overall

1 out of 5 stars

Performance

1 out of 5 stars

Story

1 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-15-13

Would you try another book from Maggie Shipstead and/or Arthur Morey?

I am so bored by this book, the reading, and the plot that I will avoid anything from the author and the reader. This is a huge waste of time. If my book club wasn't reviewing the book, I'd stop in the middle and abandon it.

Has Seating Arrangements turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not the genre--this is the fault of the author

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He was probably well suited for such an unlikeable, monotonous story

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Boredom

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Gone Girl

A Novel

By:
Gillian Flynn

Narrated by:
Julia Whelan,
Kirby Heyborne

Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
48,552

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
43,204

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
43,288

It is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media - as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents - the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter - but is he really a killer?